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Welcome to Am I Infected

IMPORTANT UPDATE
Posted Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Welcome to the "Am I Infected?" POZ forum.

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hi all.. this is a new one and although my experience is similar to those in the forum here, i cant help but worry and i need to seek answers to build up my courage to go for a test.. Im a 20yrs old male, hetero and always been healthy. i had 4 sexual encounters for the past 2 years and the recent one was a month ago. the last 3 ones i had protected bj and vaginal intercourse (no kissing). The recent encounter i had was with someone in thailand, a sex worker.. she performed on me oral sex w/o a condom for approx 5 mins and she went to put on a condom for me and continued giving me oral. after that i took out the condom and ejaculate in her mouth and she spit my cum out in the tissue. Then we proceed to shower and the next 10 mins was protected vaginal intercourse.We also had deep kissing. i couldnt cum so i took out the condom and did a handjob and came. today is exactly one month from my encounter and i started developing symptoms. i had a flu 2 days ago, along with headache, running nose and throat irritation and the doctor told me it was a cold. so i took the prescription and i felt better after sleeping for 10hrs.And if im not wrong about a week ago my body develop a rash. frm wat i've searched in the internet, a hiv symptom is maculopapular rash, which is not itchy. but when i scratched it, it felt itchy and it hasnt gone away. Infact till today there's new ones popping out. I cant help but worry bcuz my symptoms are on par with hiv. It was also mentioned that 2-4 weeks after infection it'd be a "flu-like" symptom. and im getting it now exactly at one mth.. am i at risk? and how confident can i be of being hiv negative?

Well first up Deuce, congratulations for having protected sex. You did the right thing. Receiving a headjob whether you're wearing a condom or otherwise does not place you at any risk of contracting HIV.

Having said that all sexually active people should have a full STD screen at least twice a year. A full STD screen will include an HIV antibody test. Other STD's such as gonorrhoea and chlamydia are much more contagious and prevalent than HIV. If it's been a while since your last full screen, or if you've not had one before, I recommend that you make an appointment with your doctor or local clinic.

When you say:

Im a 20yrs old male, hetero and always been healthy

I have to tell you that HIV doesn't care who you are, it cares about what you do. Being a heterosexual doesn't mean that you can't catch HIV.

You need to understand that symptoms mean nothing when it comes to diagnosing HIV. There are no "specific" symptoms of HIV infection.

You have nothing to fear from HIV as a result of the sexual encounters you describe here. I would encourage you to read our Welcome Thread to learn more about how HIV is and is not transmitted.

Keep using condoms for vaginal and anal sex, have your twice yearly screens and you'll be fine.

hi moderators... i haf a question which i cant seem to find online.. i haf this lump under my armpit, it swells one day and the next it doesnt.. when i press it, pus comes out.. isit a cyst or smtg? bcuz i really duno wat a lymph node is and this lump im having now is red and swells.. i presume it is acne cuz i haf an acne outbreak on my bodyback since young. but juz to clear things up, 1) will a lymph node produce pus ?, 2) is lymph node somekind of a red lump that swells? .. appreciate it if u could answer this. thx

We can't diagnose things over the internet. Nobody can. Yes, there are lymph nodes in your armpits and if you prod them, the buggers will swell. If you have lumps oozing pus under your arms, take them to a doctor.